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Working as a small engine mechanic, someone said the backhoe/loader was hard to start. Looked at it and decided to change the + battery terminal clamp. Disconnected and began. Boss came out fairly quickly and asked if we were working on it. Yep . Satellite locator company had called as signal went down. Finished job and started ok.

The 29.92"hg is reffering to if you have a bowl of mercury and a glass tube over 30" long sealed at one end and you fill that tube with mercury, put your finger over the end, invert it so the open end is in the mercury bowl and release your finger the tube will have 29.92" of mercury standing in it at sealevel. As teh atmospheric pressure that is exerted on the surface of the HG in the bowl changes the hieght of the mecury in the tube will change. So it is actually refering to the vaccum at the top end of the tube, less vacuum less mercury in the tube.

Had a call last week. No cool. It was 97deg out, inside office temp was 85. I checked Tstat, was set to 68, went on roof, where it was 115 deg, filters were clogged, I replaced, went back down, office was 85 still. But I noticed lobby was colder than the first time. So, I went back to office and I looked up. Register was closed. The doctor was getting too hot last winter so he closed it himself.... wow guy.

Don't know about stupid calls but definitely stupid customers.. Like the ones where u come in set ur tools down near the furnace or w.e it is ur working on and you make ur way back to the truck to get something and the customer says"omg it feels soo much better what did u do?" and you haven't even pulled the panel off yet?? Had my share of those

Worst one I been on was when I was doing residential service, a guy called said heat wasn't working right. I drove 60 miles and when walked in house the tstat read 88 in house, I asked the problem was he said I can't get the house above 88 without turning on the oven. He wanted 90 inside and ambient was around 30

Just had one tonight. I get there and the guy asks what took so long. It's been 2hrs. No. Call came in little over an hour ago.
I go to the PTAC and find unit running but not blowing cold air. I install piercing valve and suction press is 5psi. Off its 150psi. Thinking either low or restricted. No frost. I start adding Freon. Suction line starts frosting at cap tube. I tell customer will be XXX dollars to repair. He starts getting upset. I repair cap tube and vacuum. I start charging and I hear the evap coil hissing. Damn. Evap coil is leaking. So unit was low. I tell HO that we'll have to quote repair.
He asks why I can't fix today or tell him how much more its going to cost. Cause its after 5pm. I'll have our dispatcher call you with a price. He says well she won't get me on the phone, she'll have to leave it on the voicemail. Ok.
I hand him my ticket to sign. I noted unit is down and needs evap coil. I didn't try and charge him yet since I didn't fix it. I tell him I left it open till we get it fixed. He says he won't sign cause its printed on it that I completed the work. Well that's not what it says or means. It says you agree to the work. I say fine you don't have to sign. I wasn't collecting for today anyway.
This is where its gets weird.
He asks me what if I replace the coil and it still doesn't work. I say I should work. The coils leaking and needs to be replaced. He asks same question. I say there is no reason why it wouldn't work. He says I'm gonna ask a third time what if you replace the coil and it still doesn't work. I'm dumbfounded. I say I don't know.
He replies, that's what I wanted you to say. What was so hard about that! I shouldn't have to ask 3 times to get a straight answer. I'm thinking I don't know is not a straight answer.
He mumbles something about not saying 4 words to him, yet I've talked to him the entire time. He the tells me to get out. No problem.
I call the boss and he said the receptionist said he sounded crazy and figured he probably wouldn't get paid.
Thanks for the heads up.

Worst one I been on was when I was doing residential service, a guy called said heat wasn't working right. I drove 60 miles and when walked in house the tstat read 88 in house, I asked the problem was he said I can't get the house above 88 without turning on the oven. He wanted 90 inside and ambient was around 30

I had that customer. Trying to heat is house to 85 or higher with a heatpump.

I read this entire thread last nite and you guys made me lol a lot, and also miss my bedtime.

I can relate to the thermostats not on or on fan only, doors off, etc. I've seen several. The funniest I've had was just this year, and was more strange than funny. I've done the refer on a liquor store for the last 15 years or so. It's about 25 minutes away in another town. Twice this year I've stopped in to say hi and ask if everything was running ok, and the lady that owns the store asked me how I got there so fast, as she had just called and left me a message. I dunno, I'm just that good I guess. :shrug:

The worst I've ever had: Customer calls and needs a resi freezer fixed as they have ordered a half beef custom cut and they needed to pick it up. I get there and the freezer is outside... first warning sign. I open the the lid on the chest freezer and the smell nearly knocks me down. There is a biology experiment gone badly wrong in there. The freezer had quit and the customer never bothered to clean the mess out, but expected me to do it. No thanks, no charge, goodbye.

I called my last customer of the night to let her know I was on my way to her house(it was an hour drive from where i was at). She picks up the phone balling her lungs out saying its like a sauna in here and I needed to hurry up. Yea it was hot that day, a typical North Carolina summer day. I finally pull up to her house and she comes out wearing a freaking jean jacket and long Lycra pants. I tried so hard not to say anything. She shut her unit off cause it wasn't cooling her double wide down. I go inside and was blown away, she was a hoarder. And not just any hoarder, she was a trash hoarder. Every vent in the house had garbage on it. I was pretty mad that i drove straight there, i was finally gonna eat some lunch at 7 pm plus I still had an hour drive back to the house.